James R. Mirick sets the record straight on things he cares about

Is Usama bin Laden an Islamist? Maybe Not

A very coherent editorial by Dr. Sedat Laciner in the newspaper Turkish Weekly analyzes the ideology of Usama bin Laden (a plague upon him) and concludes that his identity as an Islamist is the least of his guiding principles. Dr. Laciner decries the West's tendency to see Islamic cultures as if they were all the same, for example, speaking of the diversity of culture in Islamic countries:

Hundreds of languages could be spoken in one state or very different sects of one religion could live together preserving all their characteristics for centuries. There are numerous differences between Nigerian and Indonesian Muslims. The ones defending that the music is forbidden share the same religion with the ones worshiping with music.

and:

Now the Western World means ‘Usame Bin Laden ideology’ when speaking about Islam although a number of Muslim clergymen do not support Bin Laden even they question him as Muslim.

(You have to forgive the grammar, this was translated from the Turkish, probably by a Frenchman) Of course, he is a Turk and speaking as a member of a moderate, secular Islamic society but I believe he does speak for a large number of Muslims worldwide. The great challenge Muslims face is for these peaceful, non-terrorist Muslims to speak out and act against the terrorists and bomb-throwers that currently afflict us. They SAY they are against terrorists, but are reluctant to show it in public.

And why should they not be afraid? Speaking out against these maniacs can earn you a death sentence — witness dutch filmmaker Theo vanGogh who was assassinated last year for making a film that questioned the Muslim treatment of women. Although Salman Rushdie escaped their wrath by going into hiding for two years, all three of his translators were violently attacked, two of them fatally. And most recently, the cowards at Borders Books refused to carry an issue of an American magazine because it contains a couple of the infamous Danish cartoons of Mohammed, for fear of the safety of their customers. In the US! Hello, doesn't that bother anybody?

Anyway, I highly recommend this article to anyone interested in understanding that Islam is not a monolithic club of suicidal terrorists. Find it here.